Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

Provided is a refrigerator, comprising a water dispensing device, the water dispensing device comprises: a water tank, a drain pipeline, a beverage making chamber, in which a capsule support for receiving a beverage powder capsule and a capsule piercing structure for puncturing the capsule operatively are provided; and a dispenser, communicated with an outlet of the beverage making chamber, comprising a beverage outlet of which the prepared beverage flows out. The refrigerator according to the present invention has a water dispensing device capable of making a beverage, such as coffee, milk tea, or the like, based on the demands from the user, thereby satisfying diverse drinking demands from people and solving the problem of the single function of the existing refrigerator.

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent ApplicationNo. 201710952853.9, filed on Oct. 13, 2017 and titled “Refrigerator”,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the field of refrigerating equipment, inparticular to a refrigerator comprising a water dispensing device.

BACKGROUND

On the one hand, with the accelerated process of urbanization, arefrigerator has been widely used in households and becomes an essentialhousehold appliance. Nowadays, novel and fashionable multi-functionalrefrigerators are preferred by more and more well-off families. On theother hand, with the accelerated pace of life, more and more youngpeople like coffee, and such places as offices, airports, hotels, or thelike are all equipped with full-automatic coffee machines.

However, currently, most refrigerators available in the market are theones with traditional refrigerating functions, and few refrigeratorshave a function of dispensing hot water, not to mention therefrigerators integrated with the function of making beverages, such ascoffee, tea, or the like.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a novel refrigerator tosolve the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel refrigerator tomeet the increasingly diverse drinking demands from users, and to solvethe problem that the existing refrigerator has a single function.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventionadopts the following technical solution: a refrigerator, comprising awater dispensing device, the water dispensing device comprises:

a water tank, connected with an external water source, for storing andsupplying drinking water;

a drain pipeline, connected with the water tank;

a beverage making chamber, provided at one end of the drain pipelineaway from the water tank, in which a capsule support for receiving abeverage powder capsule and a capsule piercing structure for puncturingthe capsule operatively are provided;

a dispenser, provided on a door of the refrigerator and communicatedwith an outlet of the beverage making chamber, and comprising a beverageoutlet of which the prepared beverage flows out.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a heater provided between thewater tank and the beverage making chamber, to allow drinking waterheated to flow into the beverage making chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a first selector, providedbetween the heater and the beverage making chamber, for selectivelycontrolling the water heated by the heater either to be introduced intothe beverage making chamber, or to directly flow out of a hot wateroutlet provided at the dispenser.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a water pump provided betweenthe water tank and the heater, for pressurizing the drinking water.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a second selector, connectedbetween the water pump and the heater, for selectively controlling thewater pressurized by the water pump either to be introduced directlyinto the beverage making chamber, or to be introduced into the heater.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a flow meter communicating thewater tank with the beverage making chamber, for controlling an amountof drinking water flowing into the beverage making chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device comprises a water tank, a flow meter, a waterpump, a heater, a beverage making chamber, and a dispenser with abeverage outlet, which are sequentially connected by a water pipe, andthe water dispensing device is provided on the door of the refrigerator.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the dispenser is provided thereon with a user interface and acontroller, wherein the user interface is configured to receive demandinformation of a user and generate a representative signal of the demandinformation, and the controller controls the water dispensing deviceaccording to the representative signal.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thedemand information comprises beverage concentration information, and thecontroller controls the flow meter to be ON and OFF according to therepresentative signal of the concentration information.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thewater dispensing device further comprises a second selector connectedbetween the water pump and the heater, and the demand informationcomprises a selection instruction of a beverage making temperature.According to the representative signal of the selection instruction, thecontroller controls the second selector to introduce the waterpressurized by the water pump into the beverage making chamber directly,or into the beverage making chamber after into the heater.

The advantageous effects obtained by using the above-mentioned technicalsolution are as follows. Compared with the prior art, the refrigeratoraccording to the present invention has a water dispensing device capableof making a beverage, such as coffee, milk tea, or the like, based onthe demands from the user, thereby satisfying diverse drinking demandsfrom people and solving the problem of the single function of theexisting refrigerator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelrefrigerator capable of making a plurality of beverages according touser needs, which is manufactured conveniently and facilitates the costcontrol.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the presentinvention may also adopt the following technical solution: arefrigerator, comprising a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet foropening the cabinet, and a water dispensing device provided at the door,the water dispensing device comprises a water tank, a drain pipelineconnected with the water tank, a beverage making chamber provided at oneend of the drain pipeline away from the water tank, and a dispenser forthe user to get the beverage, the beverage making chamber iscommunicated with the dispenser, the water dispensing device furthercomprises an integration module provided between the water tank and thebeverage making chamber, the integration module comprises any one, twoor all of a flow meter, a water pump, and a heater.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theintegration module comprises a flow meter and a water pump which areprovided on the drain pipeline, the integration module is communicatedwith a high pressure water outlet pipe which supplies a determinedamount of high pressure water to the beverage making chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theintegration module further comprises a heater provided between the waterpump and the beverage making chamber, and the integration modulesupplies a determined amount of high pressure water to the beveragemaking chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theintegration module is also communicated with a high temperature and highpressure water outlet pipe which communicates the heater with thebeverage making chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theintegration module comprises a flow meter, a water pump and a heaterwhich are connected in sequence, the integration module has a highpressure water outlet pipe and a high temperature and high pressurewater outlet pipe, and the high pressure water outlet pipe is connectedto the water pump, and the high temperature and high pressure wateroutlet pipe is connected to the heater.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, therefrigerator further comprises a selector provided at one end of thehigh temperature and high pressure water outlet pipe away from theheater, the selector having two outlets, one of which is in pipeconnection with the beverage making chamber, and the other of which isconnected to the dispenser.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theintegration module comprises an upper cover and a lower cover which aredetachably connected with each other, and the flow meter, the water pumpand the heater are received between the upper cover and the lower cover.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thedispenser is recessed at the door, and the integration module isprovided at a rear of the dispenser.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thebeverage making chamber is provided therein with a capsule support forreceiving a beverage powder capsule and a capsule piercing structure forpiercing the capsule.

The advantageous effects obtained by using the above-mentioned technicalsolution are as follows. The refrigerator with the integration modulemay warm, pressurize the beverage and/or adjust the concentration of thebeverage when the beverage is prepared, so that the user may makebeverages of various flavors as required, and the diversification ofdrinking functions of the refrigerator is realized. Also, theintegration module is easy to transport and assemble, thereby improvingthe productivity of the refrigerator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelrefrigerator capable of supplying hot water and providing a good heatdissipation environment for a water heating device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the presentinvention may also adopt the following technical solution: arefrigerator, comprising a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet foropening the cabinet, and a hot water supply device comprising a watertank connected with an external water source, a drain pipeline connectedwith the water tank, a heater for heating the water in the drainpipeline, and a dispenser provided with a hot water outlet, thedispenser recessed at the door, comprising an accommodation portionprovided on a side opposite to the hot water outlet, and the heaterreceived in the accommodation portion.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thedoor is provided therein with a foam layer, and the accommodationportion is provided between the foam layer and the dispenser.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the hot water outletis provided on a surface of the dispenser, and the accommodation portionis provided adjacent to the hot water outlet at a rear of the dispenseraway from the surface.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thedispenser is provided with a water tray opposite to the hot wateroutlet, and the accommodation portion is provided at a rear of the watertray.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theaccommodation portion is provided with a heat dissipation hole fordissipating heat from the heater.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, theheater is stuck in the accommodation portion.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thehot water supply device further comprises a beverage making chamberprovided between the heater and the dispenser, and the heater has twowater outlets, one of which is connected with the beverage makingchamber, and the other of which is connected with the hot water outletof the dispenser.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thedispenser is provided with a beverage outlet connected with the beveragemaking chamber.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the drain pipeline is further provided therein with a flowmeter and a water pump which are provided between the water tank and theheater.

The advantageous effects obtained by using the above-mentioned technicalsolution are as follows. Compared with the prior art, the heater is nolonger provided inside the door, but at the rear of the dispenser,thereby avoiding the influence of the filling of foam materials on theheat dissipation of the heater, which contributes to prolonging theservice life of a heat sink, eliminates potential risks brought by thehot water supply device to the refrigerator, and reduces the maintenancecost of the refrigerator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelrefrigerator at least capable of supplying room temperature beverage andice water to a user, and meeting the most frequent drinking demand ofthe user.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, the presentinvention may also adopt the following technical solution: arefrigerator, comprising a cabinet, a door connected to the cabinet foropening the cabinet, and a water dispensing device provided at the door,the water dispensing device comprises a first water tank connected withan external water source, a first water passage connected with the firstwater tank, a beverage making chamber provided at one end of the firstwater passage away from the first water tank, and a dispenser connectedwith the beverage making chamber and having a water outlet; the waterdispensing device further comprises a second water tank connected withthe external water source and a second water passage connected with thesecond water tank, the second water passage is also connected with thedispenser, and the second water tank is provided in a refrigeratingcompartment or an ice making module.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the first water passage is provided with a flow meter, andthe flow meter is provided between the first water tank and the beveragemaking chamber, to control a quantity of water intake of the beveragemaking chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thefirst water passage is provided with a heater, and the heater isprovided between the first water tank and the beverage making chamber,for supplying hot water to the beverage making chamber.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the first water passage further comprises a hot water branchinsulated from the beverage making chamber, the hot water branchcommunicates the heater with a hot water outlet, and the hot wateroutlet is provided on the dispenser.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thefirst water passage is further provided with a water pump, and the waterpump is provided between the first water tank and the heater, forsupplying pressurized water to the heater.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the first water passage further comprises a room temperaturebeverage branch insulated from the heater, and the room temperaturebeverage branch communicates with the water pump with the beveragemaking chamber.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thefirst water passage is provided with a water pump, and the water pump isprovided between the first water tank and the beverage making chamber,for supplying pressurized water to the beverage making chamber to make aroom temperature beverage.

As a further improved technical solution of the present invention, thefirst water passage is further provided with a water heater, and thewater heater is provided between the water pump and the beverage makingchamber to heat the pressurized water.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the presentinvention, the water dispensing device further comprises a filterprovided between the external water source as well as the first watertank and the second water tank to purify the water.

The advantageous effects obtained by using the above-mentioned technicalsolution are as follows. The refrigerator according to the presentsolution at least has two water passages, in which the first waterpassage provides a room temperature beverage, and the second waterpassage provides ice water, so that user may obtain at least the roomtemperature beverage and the ice water through the dispenser, whichsolves the most common and frequent drinking demand of user, andprovides a further support for the technology of functionaldiversification of the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a water dispensing device of a refrigeratoraccording to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the water dispensing device in FIG. 1with an outer casing 4 omitted;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a drain pipeline of the waterdispensing device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a first water passage of the drainpipeline in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a water dispensing device according toa second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the water dispensing device in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the water dispensing device in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a rear view of a water dispensing device according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described below in detail in combinationwith specific embodiments illustrated in drawings. However, theseembodiments have no limitations on the present invention, and anytransformations of structure, method, or function made by personsskilled in the art according to these embodiments fall within theprotection scope of the present invention.

In drawings of the invention, some of the dimensions of the structure orportion may be enlarged relative to those of other structures orportions for ease of illustration and thus are merely used to illustratethe basic structure of the subject matter of the present invention.

The terms expressive of spatial relative positions, such as “upper”,“above”, “lower”, “below”, or the like herein are used to describe therelationship of a unit or feature relative to another unit or feature inthe drawings, for the purpose of illustration and description. Termsexpressive of the spatial relative positions are intended to comprisedifferent orientations of the device in use or operation other than theorientations shown in the drawings. For example, if the device in thedrawings is turned over, the units which are described to be located“below” or “under” other units or features are “above” other units orfeatures. Therefore, the exemplary term “below” may comprise both the“above” and “below” orientations. The device may be oriented (rotated by90 degrees or other orientations) in other ways, correspondinglyexplaining the expressions related to the space herein. Also, it shouldbe understood that although the terms of first, second, etc. may be usedherein to describe various elements or structures, these describedobjects should not be limited by them. These terms are merely used todistinguish these described objects.

The present invention discloses a refrigerator comprising a cabinet witha cooling compartment and a door connected to the cabinet for openingthe cabinet. The door may be open pivotally or in a sliding manner.

In order to meet the increasingly diverse drinking demands from theuser, in the embodiments according to the present invention, therefrigerator comprises a water dispensing device 100 capable of makingroom temperature beverage, high temperature beverage, hot water, and icewater. In the preferable embodiments of the present invention, the waterdispensing device 100 is provided as a module which may be integrallyembedded in the door, comprising an outer casing 4, referring to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, for convenience of description, the outer casing 4is omitted, and the water dispensing device 100 comprises a water tankconnected with an external water source, for storing and supplyingdrinking water to a drain pipeline connected with the water tank. In thepresent embodiment, the water dispensing device 100 comprises a firstwater tank 10 and a second water tank, wherein the first water tank 10is provided in the door for the water dispensing device 100 to make hotbeverage, warm beverage and hot water, and the second water tank isprovided in a refrigerating compartment to keep the water temperature ata relatively low temperature by using cold air of the refrigeratingcompartment, for the user to take ice water. Certainly, the second watertank may also be provided in an ice making module of the door, the icemaking module has separate air supply duct and air return ductindependent of the refrigerating compartment, and the second water tankmay be provided in the ice making module to get ice water rapidly.

In order to obtain relatively pure drinking water, the water dispensingdevice 100 according to the present embodiment further comprises afilter provided between an external tap as well as the first water tank10 and the second water tank, such that the water flowing to the firstwater tank 10 and the second water tank has been filtered and purified.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the water dispensing device 100 furthercomprises a dispenser 3 provided at a tail end of the drain pipeline,the dispenser 3 is provided on the door, on which a water outlet isprovided, for the easy access. The dispenser 3 is recessed at the door,and is provided thereon with the water outlet and a water tray 31provided opposite to the water outlet.

Referring to FIG. 3, corresponding to the first water tank 10 and thesecond water tank, the drain pipeline in the water dispensing device 100comprises a first water passage 1 connected with the first water tank10, and a second water passage 2 connected with the second water tank.The dispenser 3 is provided with a water outlet communicated with thesecond water passage 2, so that the ice water stored in the second watertank flows out of the water outlet through the second water passage 2,for the easy access at any time.

Referring to FIG. 4, comparatively speaking, the first water passage 1is more complicated than the second water passage 2 due to the functionof making beverages. Specifically, the first water passage 1 is at leastconnected with the beverage making chamber 14. In the presentembodiment, the beverage making chamber 14 is provided at one end of thefirst water passage 1 away from the first water tank 10, and thebeverage making chamber 14 has an outlet communicated with a beverageoutlet provided on the dispenser 3.

The beverage making chamber 14 is provided therein with a capsulesupport for receiving beverage powder capsules and a capsule piercingstructure for piercing the capsule. The beverage powder capsule is acommercially available capsule containing beverage powder, which isdisposable, such as a coffee capsule, a tea powder capsule, or a capsuleof other juice powder. In the present invention, the coffee capsule istaken as an example. The capsule piercing structure is operativelymovable to pierce a coffee capsule received in the capsule support inresponse to a user's instruction for making coffee, and then is reset towait for a next piercing instruction. After each coffee making, the usedcoffee capsule may be removed from the capsule support and replaced witha new coffee capsule. The capsule piercing structure is commonlyconventional in the existing capsule coffee maker, and thus may beunderstood by referring to the prior art, and is not repeated herein.

As such, the first water passage 1 may at least make a room temperaturebeverage, such as a room temperature coffee. Certainly, in order to makethe beverage taste better, the user may be provided with much choices,such as temperature for making coffee, thickness of coffee, and brewingstrength, and thus the refrigerator with the water dispensing device 100according to the present invention will gain the popularity among moreusers.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the water dispensingdevice 100 further comprises an integration module 17 provided betweenthe first water tank 10 and the beverage making chamber 14, theintegration module 17 comprises any one, two or all of a flow meter 11,a water pump 12 and a heater 13. The integration module 17 is providedat a rear of the dispenser 3.

Referring to FIG. 5, the flow meter 11 is provided at an outlet of thefirst water tank 10, for timely calculating the amount of drinking waterflowing out of the first water tank 10 to respond to a demand of theamount of water from the user. A demand information on the thickness ofcoffee from the user may be input through a user interface provided onthe dispenser 3. After receiving the demand information, the userinterface immediately generates a representative signal of the demandinformation, and a controller also provided in the dispenser 3 controlsthe water dispensing device 100 according to the representative signal.

For example, when the concentration information required by the user isreceived, such as the information on the amount of water for brewing,the user interface generates a representative signal of the demandinformation on the amount of water, and the controller controls the flowmeter 11 to be ON or OFF based on the representative signal. When theamount of water flowing through the flow meter 11 reaches a targetvalue, the controller controls the flow meter 11 to cut off the firstwater passage 1, and only allows an appropriate amount of water to enterthe beverage making chamber 14, thereby satisfying the user's demand forthe beverage concentration.

Certainly, the user interface may also receive other demand informationof the user for the water dispensing device 100, such as selections ofthe brewing temperature and a brewing strength, and generatecorresponding representative signals, so that the controller performscorresponding adjustment and control based on the representativesignals.

In the preferred embodiment according to the present invention, theintegration module 17 further comprises a water pump 12 provided on thefirst water passage 1. The water pump 12 is provided downstream of theflow meter 11 and upstream of the beverage making chamber 14, forpressurizing the drinking water to improve the brewing strength formaking beverages. The arrangement of the water pump 12 facilitatesmaking the beverage taste better. Particularly, the perfect espresso maybe made through the water pump 12. The integration module 17 iscommunicated with a high pressure water outlet pipe, one end of which isconnected with the water pump 12 and another end of which is connectedwith the beverage making chamber 14. In the present embodiment, thewater passage where the high pressure water outlet pipe connected withthe beverage making chamber 14 is located is a branch of the first waterpassage 1, i.e., a room temperature beverage branch 161. The roomtemperature beverage branch 161 bypasses the heater 13 (or is insulatedwith the heater) and is directly communicated with the water pump 12 andthe beverage making chamber 14. What flows from the water outlet of thedispenser 3 via the room temperature beverage branch 161 is apressurized room temperature beverage, which meets the demands ofdrinking water from most young people.

In the present preferred embodiment, the integration module 17 furthercomprises a heater 13 provided between the water pump 12 and thebeverage making chamber 14. The integration module 17 is alsocommunicated with a high temperature and high pressure water outlet pipewhich communicates the heater 13 with the beverage making chamber 14, tosupply a determined amount of high temperature and high pressure waterto the beverage making chamber 14.

As described above, the high pressure water outlet pipe connecting thewater pump 12 with the beverage making chamber 14 is the roomtemperature beverage branch 161, and the first water passage 1, as amain water passage, sequentially goes through the flow meter 11, thewater pump 12, and the heater 13. In other words, the water flowingthrough the water pump 12 may keep flowing to the heater 13 along thefirst water passage 1, or may directly enter the beverage making chamber14 along the room temperature beverage branch 161, i.e., the highpressure water outlet pipe.

In order to conveniently control the high pressure water flowing out ofthe water pump 12 to flow into the heater 13 or the beverage makingchamber 14, the water dispensing device 100 according to the presentinvention further comprises a selector controlled by the above-mentionedcontroller, and the controller performs the corresponding operationbased on the representative signal of the demand information of the usergenerated by human-computer interaction of the user interface.Preferably, the selector is configured as a solenoid valve. Further, theselector is configured as a two-way valve, i.e., with one water inletand two water outlets, the two water outlets respectively guiding thedrinking water to different pipelines.

The water dispensing device 100 according to the present embodimentcomprises two selectors, i.e., a first selector 15 and a second selector16. The second selector 16 is provided between the water pump 12 and theheater 13, for selectively controlling the direct introduction of thewater pressurized by the water pump 12 into the beverage making chamber14 (the room temperature beverage branch 161) or into the heater 13 (thefirst water passage 1).

Referring to FIG. 5, two water passages are further comprised betweenthe heater 13 and the beverage making chamber 14. One of the two waterpassages is the first water passage 1 as the main water passage, throughwhich, the high temperature and high pressure water outlet pipe iscommunicated with the beverage making chamber 14, thereby brewing a hightemperature beverage with a rich taste, such as hot espresso; the otherof the two water passages is a hot water branch 151; the hightemperature and high pressure water outlet pipe is communicated with theheater 13 and a hot water outlet of the dispenser 3, thereby providingthe direct access to the hot water for the user, and providing the userwith another pure choice. In order to conveniently select theabove-mentioned water passages, the first selector 15 is providedbetween the heater 13 and the beverage making chamber 14. Like theabove-mentioned second selector 16, the first selector 15 comprises onewater inlet and two water outlets. One end of the first selector 15 isconnected with a water outlet pipe of the heater 13 through the waterinlet of the first selector 15, and another end thereof is in pipeconnection with the beverage making chamber 14 and the dispenser 3through the water outlets of the first selector 15 respectively, forselectively controlling the introduction of the water heated by theheater 13 into the beverage making chamber 14, or directly flow out ofthe hot water outlet provided at the dispenser 3.

To sum up, the integration module 17 comprises a flow meter 11, a waterpump 12, and a heater 13 which are sequentially connected therewith. Oneend of the integration module 17 is connected with the first water tank10, and another end thereof may inject the high temperature and highpressure water into either the beverage making chamber 14 or the hotwater outlet through the first selector 15, and inject the high pressurewater into the beverage making chamber 14 through the second selector16. In the present embodiment, the high pressure water pipe and the hightemperature and high pressure water pipe leading to the beverage makingchamber 14 are finally combined into one water pipe, and the beverageflows from the beverage making chamber 14 through the same beverageoutlet, i.e., the hot beverage and the room temperature beverage bothflow out of the same beverage outlet, which makes it easy to control awidth space occupied by the dispenser 3.

In addition, referring back to FIG. 3, the second water passage 2 andthe hot water branch 151, the hot water of which is directly injectedinto the hot water outlet of the dispenser 3 through the first selector15, are finally combined into one water pipe, and the beverage flows outof another water outlet. The beverage and the purified water areexported from different outlets, so as to avoid tainting the purifiedwater due to residual beverages.

In the foregoing description, the dispenser 3 comprises at least twowater outlets, one for the beverage to flow from the beverage makingchamber 14 and the other for the hot water and ice water to flow out.The selection of different temperatures for the same outlet isimplemented by inputting the demand information through the userinterface provided on the dispenser 3, and then controlling thecorresponding selector by the controller based on the representativesignal of the demand information. Certainly, beverages with differenttemperatures may also flow out of different outlets. In other words,four outlets for a room temperature beverage, a high temperaturebeverage, hot water, and ice water, may also be provided for separateaccess.

In the foregoing description, the integration module 17 integrates theflow meter 11, the water pump 12, the heater 13 and the first selector15 and the second selector 16. Certainly, the integration module 17 mayalso be provided therein only with any one of the flow meter 11, thewater pump 12 and the heater 13, or only the flow meter 11 and theheater 13, or only the water pump 12 and the heater 13.

Referring to FIG. 6, the integration module 17 comprises two housingsdetachably connected with each other, such as an upper cover and a lowercover, between which the flow meter 11, the water pump 12 and the heater13 are received. Specifically, the integration module 17 is providedwith a limiting structure in the housing to properly locate the flowmeter 11, the water pump 12 and the heater 13, so as to avoid mutualinterference. The arrangement of the integration module 17 facilitatesthe combination of optimal functions. The integration module 17 may besold and transported as a separate module, facilitates the assemblyoperation of the refrigerator as a whole, improves the productionefficiency of the refrigerator, and lowers human costs.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in the first embodiment of the presentinvention, the water dispensing device 100 is not provided with theintegration module 17, in the present embodiment, the flow meter 11, thewater pump 12 and the heater 13 are separately provided and are inseries connection one another through the drain pipeline. Since thedrain pipeline is connected in the same manner as in the secondembodiment, the water dispensing device 100 without the integrationmodule 17 may refer to the specific description in the secondembodiment, and will not be repeated herein.

As described above, the water dispensing device 100 may be embedded as awhole into the door of the refrigerator, and a foam layer is provided inthe door of the refrigerator to insulate the cooling compartment. Thewater dispensing device 100 is provided between the surface of the doorand the foam layer to prevent the first water tank 10 from being toocold, while allowing the heater 13 to dissipate heat.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in order to improve the heat dissipationeffect of the heater 13, the dispenser 3 is provided with anaccommodation portion 30 for receiving the heater 13. The accommodationportion 30 is provided at a rear of the dispenser 3, i.e., the sideopposite to the hot water outlet. The accommodation portion 30 isprovided with a limiting structure for the heater 13 to be stuck in theaccommodation portion 30. The limiting structure has various well-knownembodiments, which are not enumerated herein.

With respect to the position of the accommodation portion 30, twoembodiments are described in the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7,the hot water outlet is provided on a surface of the dispenser 3, andthe accommodation portion 30 is provided adjacent to the hot wateroutlet at a rear of the dispenser 3 away from the surface.

Referring to FIG. 8, in another embodiment, the accommodation portion30′ is provided at a rear of the water tray 31 of the dispenser 3,wherein the water tray 31 is opposed to the hot water outlet. In otherwords, the hot water outlet is provided above the surface of thedispenser 3, and the water tray 31 is provided below the surface of thedispenser 3. In two different embodiments, the accommodation portion 30′is provided at a rear of the hot water outlet and a rear of the watertray 31 respectively.

Preferably, the accommodation portions 30, 30′ are provided with heatdissipation holes for dissipating heat from the heater 13. There arevarious implementations regarding the number and arrangement of the heatdissipation holes, and details are not repeated herein again.

To sum up, the water dispensing device 100 according to the presentinvention supplies various beverages, and may meet the drinking demandsfrom different family members in one family or one family member atdifferent stages, which greatly enhances the usability of therefrigerator, diversifies the function of the refrigerator, greatlyimproves the user experience, and makes significant improvementscompared with the prior art.

In addition, on this basis, effective optimal measures are taken tosolve the problem of heat dissipation of the heater 13, which improvesthe performance of the water dispensing device 100, prolongs the servicelife of the heater 13 and the refrigerator, and reduces maintenancecosts. At the same time, the arrangement of the integration module 17further reduces the assembly complexity of the water dispensing device100, improves the overall assembly efficiency of the refrigerator, andsaves the manufacturing costs.

It should be understood that although the present specification isdescribed based on embodiments, not every embodiment contains only oneindependent technical solution. Such a narration way of the presentspecification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the artshould take the present specification as an entirety. The technicalsolutions in the respective embodiments may be combined properly to formother embodiments which may be understood by those skilled in the art.

A series of the detailed descriptions set forth above is merely specificdescription of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and is notintended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.Equivalent embodiments or modifications made within the spirit of thepresent invention shall fall within the protection scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator, comprising a water dispensingdevice, wherein the water dispensing device comprises: a water tank,connected with an external water source, for storing and supplyingdrinking water; a drain pipeline, connected with the water tank; abeverage making chamber, provided at one end of the drain pipeline awayfrom the water tank, in which a capsule support for receiving a beveragepowder capsule and a capsule piercing structure for puncturing thecapsule operatively are provided; and a dispenser, provided on a door ofthe refrigerator and communicated with an outlet of the beverage makingchamber, and comprising a beverage outlet of which the prepared beverageflows out.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the waterdispensing device further comprises a heater, the heater is providedbetween the water tank and the beverage making chamber, to allowdrinking water heated to flow into the beverage making chamber.
 3. Therefrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the water dispensing devicefurther comprises a first selector, the first selector is providedbetween the heater and the beverage making chamber, for selectivelycontrolling the water heated by the heater either to be introduced intothe beverage making chamber, or to directly flow out of a hot wateroutlet provided at the dispenser.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim2, wherein the water dispensing device further comprises a water pump,the water pump is provided between the water tank and the heater, forpressurizing the drinking water.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim4, wherein the water dispensing device further comprises a secondselector, the second selector is connected between the water pump andthe heater, for selectively controlling the water pressurized by thewater pump either to be introduced directly into the beverage makingchamber, or to be introduced into the heater.
 6. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 1, wherein the water dispensing device furthercomprises a flow meter, the flow meter communicates the water tank withthe beverage making chamber, for controlling an amount of drinking waterflowing into the beverage making chamber.
 7. A refrigerator, comprisinga water dispensing device, wherein the water dispensing device comprisesa water tank, a flow meter, a water pump, a heater, a beverage makingchamber, and a dispenser with a beverage outlet, which are sequentiallyconnected by a water pipe, and the water dispensing device is providedon the door of the refrigerator.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim7, wherein the dispenser is provided thereon with a user interface and acontroller, the user interface is configured to receive demandinformation of a user and generate a representative signal of the demandinformation, and the controller controls the water dispensing deviceaccording to the representative signal.
 9. The refrigerator according toclaim 8, wherein the demand information comprises beverage concentrationinformation, and the controller controls the flow meter to be ON and OFFaccording to the representative signal of the concentration information.10. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein the water dispensingdevice further comprises a second selector, the second selector isconnected between the water pump and the heater, and the demandinformation comprises a selection instruction of a beverage makingtemperature; according to the representative signal of the selectioninstruction, the controller controls the second selector to introducethe water pressurized by the water pump into the beverage making chamberdirectly, or into the beverage making chamber after into the heater.